State Attorney General Rob Bonta rejected claims that the arrest of a former Los Angeles Police Department officer in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting was part of a political agenda.
The arrest came two years after a Riverside County grand jury decided not to indict ex-LAPD officer Sal Sanchez in the shooting and killing of a developmentally disabled man inside a Corona Costco. The attorney general told KNX he can deliver a conviction after local prosecutors could not.
“I believe we could charge and prove beyond a reasonable doubt to a unanimous jury the three counts in our criminal complaint: one for voluntary manslaughter and two separate counts each for assault with a semi-automatic firearm,” said Bonta.
Attorneys for Sanchez accused Bonta of being on an anti-cop crusade in the name of social justice. Bonta rejected the notion, saying "that is not what is happening here."
“Just because you're licensed to carry a gun doesn’t mean you're not accountable for how you use it. No matter who you are, nobody is above the law,” he said.
“Our job is to seek justice here."
Sanchez claimed he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed 32-year-old Kenneth French. A 2020 review of the case by the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners disagreed with Sanchez's assessment. The board found French did not present an imminent threat to Sanchez and that Sanchez's use of deadly force was not “objectively reasonable.”
The LAPD to terminate Sanchez’s employment following the board's review.
Bonta also faced criticism from an attorney for the French family, Dale Galipo. Galipo said he found the filing of charges by Bonta’s office “suspicious.”
“Obviously, the family thought the charges should have been brought against him early on,” said Galipo.
The family's civil suit against the city of Los Angeles is set to begin in October, and Galipo speculated the city may try to get out of paying damages if Sanchez is convicted of a crime.
According to a statement by Bonta, the charges are about “pursuing justice after an independent and thorough review of the evidence and the law.”
A copy of the attorney general’s complaint is available to read here.